Poll: Parliament, cabinet, see rise in approval ratings

A new poll has suggested that Czech assessment of the functioning of the government and the Czech Parliament is at its highest since 2003. The poll, conducted by the STEM agency, found that 43 percent of respondents were satisfied with Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek's cabinet while some 36 percent assessed as positive the workings of Parliament. The last time the Czech government enjoyed similar public support was in the year 2003 but also the summer of 2002 when the Czech Republic was hit by widespread floods.

The new STEM poll also gauged public support for the country's president, Vaclav Klaus: he was rated positively by some 72 percent of respondents.